Transportinfo.org.uk - today's transport news in the uk, hand picked for you each morning

Friday, 03 April 2020

Government

• Almost £400 million to keep England’s buses runningGreater funding to keep bus routes running during the coronavirus pandemic.

BBC News

• Coronavirus: West Midlands Railway offers new timetableSome train routes are to be dropped by West Midlands Railway during the coronavirus outbreak.
• Coronavirus: Empty-roads speeding may impact NHS, drivers warnedThe Met Police says it has seen drivers at almost double the legal limit since the lockdown began.
• Coronavirus: BA reaches deal to suspend thousands of workersThe airline will temporarily suspend more than 30,000 of its workers after reaching a deal with unions.
• Government bails out bus firms to keep routes openA £167m fund will cover the losses of bus companies to keep essential services running for key workers.

ITV News

• Further cuts to West Midlands Trains services as an 'increased numbers of rail workers enter self-isolation'West Midlands Trains have announced further cuts to their services due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Financial Times

• Bus companies in England to receive rescue fundingGovernment commits £167m to keep services running for key workers during coronavirus pandemic 

The Guardian

• Bus firms get £400m bailout to maintain servicesBus companies in England will receive a £400m bailout to ensure that services needed by frontline workers such as NHS staff can keep running.
• British Airways suspends more than 30,000 staff while Heathrow shuts one runwayAffected BA employees will be paid 80% of their salary under terms of state furlough schemeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritish Airways is to suspend more than 30,000 staff, from cabin crew to ground staff, engineers and head office employees, until the end of May under the government furlough scheme for companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic.Meanwhile Heathrow has announced it will shut down one of its two runways from Monday due to the reduction in flights. A spokesperson for the UK’s biggest airport said: “Although we are seeing significantly fewer flights ...

Times Online

• Coronavirus: Woman fined under new law was wrongly charged [subscription]The first person to be prosecuted on the railways under new laws to tackle coronavirus will have her conviction quashed after The Times revealed that she was charged under the wrong law.
• Call for bailout as BA suspends staff [subscription]The government was accused of abandoning airlines yesterday as British Airways announced plans to temporarily lay off 80 per cent of its workforce.
• Drone flies to the rescue in first coronavirus food and drugs delivery [subscription]The world’s first drone delivery service will be launched next week to carry medicine and food to people forced to self-isolate because of the coronavirus.

City AM

• Coronavirus: British Airways owner IAG suspends 90 per cent of flightsBritish Airways owner IAG has said it will now suspend 90 per cent of its flights, up from the 75 The post Coronavirus: British Airways owner IAG suspends 90 per cent of flights appeared first on CityAM.

Mail Online

• British Airways 'to suspend 36,000 staff days after grounding ALL flights to and from Gatwick'Madrid-based International Airlines Group proposed a dividend of around 17p per share in February, when the ravages of the killer virus on society and the global economy were already apparent.

Network Rail

• Iconic Glenfinnan viaduct to light-up for our NHS heroesTonight (Thursday April 2) the iconic Glenfinnan viaduct will join landmarks across the UK turning blue to show public support for NHS staff treating coronavirus patients.

Sky News

• Woman convicted under Coronavirus Act was 'wrongly charged'A woman convicted under the new Coronavirus Act is set to be cleared after police admitted she was wrongly charged and apologised.

Daily Post (North Wales)

• Bus companies halt Gwynedd routes because of coronavirusThe 12 route between Caernarfon and Pwllheli is among those suspended

London Evening Standard

• London Heathrow to close runway as it scales back operations due to coronavirus pandemicUnder a new scaled-back operation the airport will only use one of its two runways, changing over on a weekly basis.

Manchester Evening News

• Bus firms get fast-tracked £5.6m taxpayer boost - on condition they don't axe key worker routesTransport bosses have fast-tracked payment to Greater Manchester's bus operators - and asked in return that they keep running routes for key workers.

Cambridge News

• Drone footage shows eerie scene left behind as Stansted grinds to a haltThe coronavirus crisis has grounded planes at airports around the world

East Anglian Daily Times

• Coronavirus: Deliveries by bike for those in isolationA bike that was used for ferrying passengers around Bury St Edmunds is now transporting essential goods to those in isolation during the coronavirus crisis.

Reading Evening Post

• Stretch of M4 to be closed for entire weekend to replace bridgeThe Riding Court Road bridge is being replaced as part of M4 smart motorway works

Wirral Globe

• Merseyrail announce extra evening services for key workersEXTRA evening services will run on Merseyrail from tonight for key workers helping stem the spread of coronavirus.

Other Regional Press

• ‘No longer viable’: Bus operator cancels all coach services due to coronavirus pandemicOne of the UK’s biggest bus operators has cancelled all of its coach services as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Bus stop transformed into tiny shop for NHSKind-hearted villages have transformed a bus stop into a tiny hub for donations for NHS workers.
• British Airways reach agreement to put 36,000 staff members on furloughStaff will be on 80 per cent of their wage and no one will be made redundant
• National Express to suspend all bus servicesTravel advice has been given to anyone with a ticket to ride after April 5

The Economist

• Britain’s steel industry is braced for troubleA failing industry looks like falling through the gaps of government support

British Trams Online

• Government urged to provide financial support for the Tyne and Wear MetroNorth east political leaders have urged central Government to provide urgent cash support to protect the future of the Tyne and Wear Metro and its local jobs and public services in light of the continuing Coronavirus crisis. Passenger numbers on the Metro have fallen by 90% in recent weeks but a service continues to operate for the benefit of NHS and other key workers to move around.

Coach and Bus Week

• A Lerwick legendAfter over 100 years in business, one of Shetland’s best known operators will close its doors at the end of the summer season. Jonathan Welch visited to hear the history of the respected family firm
• Real people, real resultsWho better to talk about what life is like as a bus driver than an actual bus driver? Recruitment campaigns increasingly include this opportunity – but Brighton & Hove/Metrobus has taken this a step further by creating an innovative, eyecatching film involving drivers talking about their daily life.
• Better togetherFollowing the arrival of 13 Optare Tempo SRs from fellow ALBUM member TrentBarton in 2019, colour-coded route branding was introduced to two high frequency corridors
• Bus manufacturers halt productionAlexander Dennis Limited (ADL) has announced that it has suspended production at its UK manufacturing facilities.
• Secretary of State: bus-specific deal is comingAmongst a number of questions about the bus and community transport sectors, Grant Shapps MP says a deal for buses should arrive ‘in the next few days’

Rail Technology Magazine

• Network Rail announces cashflow boost for suppliers During the coronavirus crisis, Network Rail is awarding thousands of British firms a crucial boost to their cashflow, by declaring a move to immediate payments for its suppliers. This means payment could be up to seven days quicker for SMEs and up to 28 days quicker for other suppliers....

Railnews

• Freight operators set to strengthen trains Freight operators are examining ways to load more containers on their trains, as the demand for rail freight services continues to grow during the coronavirus crisis. Network Rail says one million tonnes of cargoes are travelling on the West Coast Main Line every week, with a further 370,000 tonnes being carried between west London, Cornwall and Wales. The cargoes range from supermarket supplies and medicines to fuel for power stations. Royal Mail trains are carrying letters and parcels between London and Glasgow, while petrol is being moved from Humberside to the West Midlands and from Scotl...

Route One (Bus and Coach)

• ATF Operators Association calls for delegated MoT testingThe Authorised Testing Facility Operators Association (ATFOA) has stepped up its campaign for the immediate introduction of delegated MoT testing responsibility.
• Operators pull together for key workersMorebus and Yellow Buses have partnered during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic to ensure key workers can travel across Bournemouth and Poole.
• Oxford Tube suspended by StagecoachStagecoach in Oxfordshire has announced that its Oxford Tube coach service between the university city and London will be suspended until further notice after operation on Sunday 5 April.
• Public funding supports bus operatorsVarying packages of funding have been confirmed for bus operators in England, Scotland and Wales as politicians acknowledge the crisis brought on the industry by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
• National Express scheduled coaches to be suspendedThe entire National Express scheduled coach network will be suspended from midnight on Sunday 5 April. The operator says the move is being made as it is no longer viable to continue operating a limited number of services.

Other News Sources

• The exact parts of London Underground's Jubilee line with 4G connection in tunnelsStations on the eastern Jubilee line section now have 4G access in tunnels and on platforms
• From the Frontline - MAN Truck & Bus UK MD Thomas Hemmerich discusses how COVID-19 has impacted his businessMAN Truck & Bus UK was well prepared for the Coronavirus outbreak, and consequently is operating at full capacity today.